Considering animosity from the other side

Not long ago, I was walking through the Lutheran cemetery (St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Yard) in Clear Spring and came across this headstone for Abraham L. Sossy [*]…

I’m surprised I have never seen it before, because I have been to the cemetery several times. Nonetheless, when taking a little more time to walk around this time, this stone struck me for three reasons. For one, it is the burial site of a member of Co. B of Cole’s Cavalry; 2) he was killed in the Jan. 10, 1864 fight at Loudoun Heights; and 3) the inscription is very interesting in the way that it offers a window to the “perspective” some/many of the people in the area at the time. In the following close-up, note the “Killed by Mosby’s Guerillas.” I say this because Company B was heavily recruited from Clear Spring and the surrounding area (Major Alexander M. Flory, 1831-1913, is buried in the cemetery also, as well as parents of some of Cole’s men) , three of my own relatives being among those who enlisted.

I’ve seen headstones that reveal how a person died. That’s not unusual; rare (by quantity), but not unusual. For example, I have seen where a headstone reveals that a soldier was “Killed at Ream’s Station.” O.k., the person responsible for ordering the headstone wanted to make it clear that the man died in battle. Is there any animosity in that? Perhaps… perhaps it could be a reflection of animosity for the opposing side, or it could be a declaration of the bravery/courage of the person buried at the site. That considered, however, it seems that if one includes the statement “Killed by Mosby’s Guerillas” they wanted to show bitterness toward the people responsible. It’s not a reflection of respect, especially knowing 1) the history behind the engagements between Mosby’s Rangers and Cole’s Cavalry, and 2) the proximity of the grave, in western Maryland, to Mosby’s area of operation. Perhaps it could be seen as a lingering message of anger.

It’s a rather interesting headstone and the first that I have seen that tells a little of the story behind a Union soldier who was killed by Mosby’s men… and the animosity that a father held for the perpetrators. The father, by the way, died within a year of his son being killed.

*Abraham L. Sossey/Sosey (I’ve also seen his name writen as “Socey”) was technically Abraham Sosey, III. Listed as a farmer in the 1860 census for Clear Spring, Washington County, Maryland, he was the son of Abraham, II (1804-1864) and Eliza Chew Sosey (1807-1881). Abraham Sosey, II was the son of Abraham (1770-?) and Catherine Rein (ca. 1770-1822). Abraham Sosey, I first appears in Franklin County, Pa. in 1798 on the Letterkenny Twp tax list.

Abraham L. Sosey also had a brother, John N., who served, initially in the same company of Cole’s Cavalry, but later in Co. F, 13th Maryland Infantry, USA. It is uncertain whether his middle initial is M., N., or W. John was shoemaker by occupation and continued to live in Clear Spring in the years after the war.

Interesting post. I’ve been meaning to read Wert’s history of Mosby’s unit for some time now – I wonder if it delves much into civilian reactions in his area of operations?

Two things that stand out here for me are the use of the word killed as opposed to murdered, given the ambush tactics often employed by Mosby’s men. Second is the use of guerillas instead of partisans or rangers. Did guerillas carry a more negative connotation at the time, or were these terms largely equivalent?

Thanks for commenting, Steven. The surprise night attack on Loudoun Heights was unconventional for the time, but I don’t think any Union deaths that came out of it would be considered murder. There were other activities in the war that really deserve the designation of “murder,” but I don’t think even Union soldiers would consider it in this situation. If they had, the men of Mosby’s command would not have been treated as POWs. There is no doubt that some of the activities of Mosby’s men would fall under the classification of guerilla warfare, but I think the “guerilla” reference on the headstone came from popular disdain of the Rangers among citizens of that area of Maryland. Some in the area were also refugees from Northern Virginia… some probably from the same area in which Mosby operated. An example of this would be those from Loudoun County who took refuge from Point of Rocks and across the lines in Md.

Bro. Moore,
As you probably remember, I’m the Camp Graves Registration Officer (among some other tasks) for the Lincoln-Cushing Camp in Washington DC, SUVCW. Last July, on a mission to Clear Spring to photograph the grave marker of one Charles W White, I came across and photographed Sossy’s and Flory’s markers as well. (I’m an equal-opportunity grave photographer; I consider ALL Union vets to be in my bailiwick.) Flory’s marker in particular attracted my attention; never seen another one quite like that!
I went to Clear Spring because my research indicated Charles White was buried there, as he is. Charley was a Loudoun Ranger, the natural enemies of Mosby and his men. I’m researching a comprehensive unit roster for the Loudoun Rangers, hoping to publish next year, during the sesquicentennial of the Rangers’ formation. Charley’s grave marker is one of very few privately-supplied markers I’ve found so far that documents Loudoun Ranger service. Many Rangers’ graves are marked by US-issue stones (the price was right), and most of those that are not, have nothing on the stone denoting their service.
In F, C, and L, Lee

I’ve been hoping to link-up more regarding the Loudoun Rangers since we last talked in Kansas.

Regarding Flory’s stone, are you talking about his, or that of his son? The one with the hat, canteen, and so forth, was for his son, a Span-Am War vet who was later killed while a policeman in Hagerstown. Nearly without fail, when walking near it, a rabbit pops out and runs away. Scared ne the first two times, but now I come to expect it. 🙂

I am a Nitterhouse descendent and I believe Abraham Sosey (the 1st one) had a daughter Margaret who may have been married to Ludwich (aka: Lewis) Nitterhouse. If any one knows for sure if Margaret was Ludwich’s wife, please let me know!

[…] Trooper Sossey was killed. His body was later recovered by family, and buried back in Clear Spring. It’s unclear if the heartache of Abraham’s death was the reason, but by June, his father passed […]